Long Distance
by PinkCamellia
Summary: HIATUS. Each time you leave, it hurts more and more. I wouldn't speak to you because I knew that if I did, the next time you said goodbye, I wouldn't have been able to survive it." AshxMisty
1. Messages

Hello all! I know it's been forever since I've posted anything on fanfiction, but this idea popped into my head a while back, and I couldn't get it out. Originally, this was going to be a one shot story, but I've decided it might flow a bit better if it were put into parts. So, two, maybe three chapters at the most.

I'll update as soon as I can, but I'm now in my last year of high school, and I'm always piled to the sky with homework, not to mention my extracurriculars and volunteering...

**Summary**:"Each time you leave, it hurts more and more. I wouldn't speak to you because I knew that if I did, the next time you said goodbye, I wouldn't have been able to survive it." AshxMisty

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokemon. It'd be awesome if I did, but I don't.

**Note**: There isn't anything particularly significant about the dates. Just take notice of how far apart they all are.

_- X - X - X - _

**Long Distance**

**Chapter 1: Messages**

_- X - X - X - _

**April 11th, 2008**

_"Hi, you've reached Misty, leader of the Cerulean City gym. Sorry I couldn't pick up the phone, but if you leave your name, number and a short message, I'll get back to you as soon as I can."_

"Misty, it's Ash. I know it's been a while since you last heard from me, but I was hoping we could talk. If you have some time, please call me at the Pokemon Center in Jubilife City. Brock, Dawn and me are going to be here for a few more days..."

_- X - X - X - _

**May 14th, 2008**

_"Hi, you've reached Misty, leader of the Cerulean City gym. Sorry I couldn't pick up the phone, but if you leave your name, number and a short message, I'll get back to you as soon as I can."_

"Wow, Misty. You must be really swamped with things at the gym, huh? I think Pikachu's beginning to forget who you are... Kidding! We all miss you. Call us? Bye."

_- X - X - X - _

**June 5th, 2008**

_"Hi, you've reached Misty, leader of the Cerulean City gym. Sorry I couldn't pick up the phone, but if you leave your name, number and a short message, I'll get back to you as soon as I can."_

"Hey Mist! I guess you missed my last message or called too late or something. Drop me a line at this number if you can manage it, I want to tell you all about my match at the Pastoria City gym. Wake, the gym leader, specializes with Water Pokemon too! Oh, by the way, this is Ash!"

_- X - X - X - _

**July 20th, 2008**

_"Hi, you've reached Misty, leader of the Cerulean City gym. Sorry I couldn't pick up the phone, but if you leave your name, number and a short message, I'll get back to you as soon as I can."_

"Misty? It's Brock. Why haven't we heard from you yet? We all want to know how you're doing. We won't call you, so call us!"

_- X - X - X - _

**August 27th, 2008**

_"Hi, you've reached Misty, leader of the Cerulean City gym. Sorry I couldn't pick up the phone, but if you leave your name, number and a short message, I'll get back to you as soon as I can."_

"You know, Mist... If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're avoiding me, which is strange because that's kind of hard to do when we don't see each other face to face and that's how people avoid each other... They see each other face to face and then they stop... Well, you know what I mean, right? Some form of communication would be nice... Later!"

_- X - X - X - _

**September 2nd, 2008**

To: Ketchum, Ash

From: Waterflower, Misty

Subject: Busy

Ash, I didn't understand what your message meant, but I'm not avoiding you. The Pokemon League is coming up real soon and things at the gym are insane. I'll call you when I find some free time.

Misty

_- X - X - X - _

**November 27th, 2008**

To: Waterflower, Misty

From: Ketchum, Ash

Subject: Sorry

I can't imagine how hectic life as a gym leader must be. I'm sorry about the phone call, Mist. I guess I forgot about the time differences, and figured it'd be 3PM over there, not 3AM. I just thought that since I hadn't hear for you, I'd give you a ring. I just wanted to know if you've received that letter I sent you a while back?

Ash

_- X - X - X - _

**December 5th, 2008**

To: Ketchum, Ash

From: Waterflower, Misty

Subject: Congratulations!

Ash, I did get your letter, and I'm happy for you. Best of luck to you in the Sinnoh League. I know you'll do great.

M

_- X - X - X - _

**December 6th, 2008**

To: Waterflower, Misty

From: Ketchum, Ash

Subject: Catching Up

Thanks Mist! I'm going to win the whole thing, I can feel it! Can we talk before the competition starts? I have so much to tell you, and I won't be able to contact you after the opening ceremony.

Ash

_- X - X - X - _

**December 16th, 2008**

To: Ketchum, Ash

From: Waterflower, Misty

Subject: Sorry

I'm really sorry, Ash. Maybe we can talk later?

M

_- X - X - X - _

**January 31st, 2009**

Words could not describe how amazing Ash Ketchum currently felt.

Several years of training, thousands of hours of hard work, and countless bruises and scars later, and here he was. The shiny golden trophy stared at him from its place on the coffee table.

He had only managed to get away from the screaming fans and vicious reports an hour ago, and it was all finally sinking in.

_He_was the newly crowned champion of the Sinnoh League.

Champion.

Not top sixteen, not top eight and not top four.

_Champion_.

Ash's face broke out into a wide grin. A smile so fierce that his cheeks began to hurt.

The eighteen year old stood, left the room, and all but skipped over to the closest payphone. He quickly pulled his phonecard from his backpack and slid it into the machine. Picking up the receiver, he swiftly dialed the numbers he'd memorized so long ago. It rang four times before the answering machine picked up. Ash frowned at the familiar message, but waited for the beep to sound.

"Hey, Misty. It's Ash..."

-

_Ring ring ring, Ring ring ring, phone call, phone call! __Ring ring ring, Ring ring ring, phone call, phone call!_

Misty's head immediately snapped up from its resting position on her folded arms. She looked around, slightly confused as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Her teal orbs absorbed the familiar surroundings of her family kitchen, along with the many sheets of paper that were scattered on the table in front of her.

_'Dammit,'_ she thought. _'I guess I feel asleep in the middle of my paperwork again...' _

She stretched, wincing at the kink she felt in her neck.

_Ring ring ring, Ring ring ring, phone call, phone call!_

Sighing, the redhead ambled over to her telephone. She picked up the receiver and was about to press the 'Talk' button when she glimpsed the words scrawled across the screen.

She froze.

_Ring ring ring, Ring ring ring, phone call, phone call!_

Misty sighed in relief when her answering machine picked up, playing the words she had recorded over a year ago.

That had been a close one.

"Thank goodness for caller ID," she muttered softly to herself.

_Beep._

"Hey, Misty. It's Ash... I assume that you've been watching the League games and know my great news. I told you I would win, didn't I? I'm that much closer to being the World's Greatest Pokemon Master ever! Anyways, Brock and I are taking a Ferry back to Kanto the day after tomorrow. We're planning on stopping by Cerulean sometime next week to visit. Isn't that exciting? We'll see you real soon! Bye!"

Her heart suddenly stopped beating. Her breath was coming too fast, as if she couldn't fill her lungs with enough oxygen.

"No," she whispered. "No, no, no, no, _no_..."

_- X - X - X - _

**February 1st, 2009**

"Mr. Ketchum, a message was left for you early this morning." Ash looked at Nurse Joy with surprised eyes, but took the recording from her outstretched hand. He quickly thanked her and sauntered over to the nearest telephone. He slid the disk into the appropriate slot and hit the play button. His eyes widened at the familar, yet estranged voice that came onto the speakers.

_"Ash? It's Misty. Listen, I know it's been a while since we've last seen or spoken to each other, but please don't come to the gym next week. I have so much to do, and I won't be able to see you at all. Therefore, a visit would be pointless. Maybe you should go see Brock's family in Pewter instead?" _

_- X - X - X - _

So what did you think of Chapter 1? I know this was poorly edited, so if you see any mistakes, please don't hesitate to point them out!

Review!


	2. The League Conferences

This chapter is long overdue, so I'll keep this short.

I'm very sorry it took me so long to update. I've been really, really busy with school and have been at a loss for inspiration.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokemon. It'd be awesome if I did, but I don't.

_- X - X - X -_

**Long Distance**

**Chapter 2: The League Conferences**

_- X - X - X -_

Misty stepped onto the platform, quickly lifting her bag and hoisting it onto her shoulder. She stretched her arms over her head and took in the gentle spring air. It was a beautiful day, and she was glad to finally be off of that stuffy train. The Kanto League had ended a little over a week ago, and Misty wasn't surprised to see that the tourists were still running around. Despite loving her hectic life as a gym leader, she really needed some time to relax.

Misty was excited for her mini vacation. She had several days before she had to start working again, and the Cerulean Leader was going to make the most of it. A smile formed on her face as she spotted a familiar shade of violet hair amongst the many passengers. Raising her hands to cup them around her mouth, the redhead shouted,

"Erika! Over here!"

She tightened her hold on the strap of her bag and ran to greet her friend.

_- X - X - X -_

"Are you sure you want to do that, man?" Brock stared his friend straight in the eyes through the screen and could find no uncertainty in them.

"Absolutely," Ash muttered into the receiver.

"But, she asked us to not visit, and she is going to be really busy with her gym leader stuff."

"How so?" The eighteen year old questioned. "The Kanto Pokemon League ended before Sinnoh's did. Registration for the next tournament won't be for a little while. What can she possibly be doing with all that free time on her hands? I'll just stop by for a few days, and we'll hang out."

"Trust me, there's a lot more going on than you think."

Ash raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Like what?"

"Like the Kanto Gym Leaders Conferences. They start up next week. There's a lot of presentations and business stuff that goes on. I'm actually going to be representing Pewter with Forrest. Even though he's technically the gym leader, he's not sixteen yet. My dad is the one that has been attending with him since I've been away, but he hurt his leg. I volunteered to go in his place."

"So you think Misty will be representing Cerulean? You never know, Brock. Maybe one of her sisters will be attending the meeting instead of her. In fact, I think I'll give her a call to see what's going on-"

"Trust me, Ash. Misty _will_ be at the Conferences."

"How do you know?"

"Because I was studying up on the past meetings before you called me. Misty's sisters gave her the legal right to be Gym Leader almost three years ago, and let me tell you. She's been doing some really impressive stuff with the gym..."

_- X - X - X -_

"I'll have the Fettuccine Alfredo and a glass of lemonade, please."

"The Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad and some water for me, thank you."

The waiter quickly collected their menus and hurried back to the kitchen.

"You've been eating light," Erika comented, raising a delicate eyebrow at the redhead. "We're on vacation. Indulge a little!"

"I would, but Daisy would kill me." Misty muttered. "While everyone was at the Indigo Plateau watching all the battles, I was at home with my sisters. We've choreographed a new water ballet, and we're set to begin performances the week we finish with the Conference."

"Ouch," the Celadon Leader replied. "Sounds tough."

"It's not so bad." Misty stated, before taking a sip of the water the waiter brought her. "Aside from the silly costumes, the performances are actually quite fun. Which reminds me, I have some tickets to the show for you in my bag. I had Daisy send them as a 'thank you' for the perfume samples you gave me. They smell absolutely divine."

"Not at all," Erika smiled. "_Whisper of Bellossom_ is one of our top selling brands."

The Cerulean Gym Leader nodded. "Do you want to hit the beach later? We should ride the waves before we start work tomorrow."

"Definitely," the violet-haired girl sighed. "We should soak up as much sun as we can before we go back to our hectic lives."

"Well, what can we do about it? Misty giggled. "The League must go on."

"Speaking of Leagues..." Erika said, "Didn't that friend of yours... whatshisname... just win Sinnoh?"

"Oh, umm... Ash?" Misty stammered, trying to keep her calm demeanor from faltering.

The Celadon leader nodded.

"Yeah, I think he's back in Kanto now." The redhead declared with a shrug of the shoulders. "We don't really keep in touch."

"That's a real shame." Erika teased. "I thought that you two made the cutest cou-"

Misty thanked her lucky stars that the waiter chose that exact moment to bring out their food. She hid her mortification by forcing a large leaf of lettuce into her mouth, and took the first available opportunity to change the subject, as subtly as she could.

"So, do you want to meet for breakfast before our first meeting tomorrow?"

_- X - X - X -_

"Misty, we should really get a move on. We've got less than thirty minutes before the meeting starts, and it's a fifteen minute walk. Plus, we have to get cleared by security!" Erika complained, as she placed her money on the table and grabbed her sweater.

"Just a second," the redhead said, leafing through a thick stack of index cards. "I just need to make sure everything is in order."

"Missy, you aren't even presenting today. Let's get a move on! The Elite Four and League Officials won't be impressed with us if we show up late to the very first meeting!"

"You're such a worry-wort, Erika." Misty stated, sticking her presentation notes into her bag. "Hold your Ponytas! I'm coming, I'm coming!"

_- X - X - X -_

A brisk walk and ten minutes of paperwork later, Misty and Erika were making their way to the Conference room.

"I hear Blaine's grandson is stepping in for him this year," the violet-haired woman stated, clipping her Gym Leader Identification Card to the front of her shirt.

"Really?" Misty asked, studying her own card. She wrinkled her nose and frowned slightly, "I really don't like this picture of me."

"Yours is better than mine," Erika retorted. "It was all that speed walking... My face is flushed and my hair looks so messy." The Celadon City Gym leader sighed and shook her head. "And, yeah. He was doing some sort of training with this big shot fire pokemon master. He agreed to step in since his grandfather's decided to retire. He's the newest leader of Cinabar Island."

"That's pretty cool," Misty replied. "I guess we'll be meeting him today... I hope he's mature enough to handle it. I don't think I could sit through all these meetings with an arrogant big-shot who hasn't yet worked a gym leader's day in his life."

"Me too," Erika agreed, swiftly glancing at her watch. "We're lucky. We still have four minutes before they begin."

"I guess it's a good thing we're here then," Misty smiled, while flashing her ID at the security guard standing outside of the room. Erika followed suit and the two quickly scrambled to take their seats.

"How very nice of you to join us Miss Gardenia and Miss Waterflower." Lance said cheekily, with a smile on his face.

Misty blushed lightly, realizing that she and Erika were the last two to arrive for the meeting.

"Sorry, Lance." She said shyly, shifting from side to side in her swivel chair. "We'll be more punctual next time."

"I'm only jesting. We start at nine o'clock sharp. You made it with two minutes to spare," he said with a wink.

Misty grinned, and placed her bag on the ground by her feet. She turned in her chair to mutter a quick greeting to the gym leader on her left, but froze instantly.

She managed to keep her breathing even and told her mind to think logically.

She considered her options.

Option one: Flint had undergone surgery and looked much, much younger than he actually was.

Option two: Forrest's hormones had gone into overdrive. He had hit puberty, and shot up nice and tall like a Sudowoodo.

Her heart plummeted as she realized it couldn't be anything other than option three.

"B-Brock?"

Said breeder-in-training smiled, with a hard look in his eyes.

"Hello Misty. Long time no see."

Misty felt her entire body, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes go numb.

With Brock Slate here, surely Ash Ketchum was somewhere nearby.

_- X - X - X -_

I chose Erika to be a good friend of Misty's because I think, that of all the Kanto Gym Leaders, that they would get along best. I chose Gardenia to be her last name because it's of a nature background, and it seem to fit.

Chapter 3 is in progress, so hopefully it won't be another 6 months or so before I update.

Leave a review if you have time!


	3. Strong Words

So the last update took me half a year. This one was... 3 months in the making? It is short... but, I do apologize for the long wait.

In my defence, May and June were two **crazy** months for me. There was nothing but studying, exams and my high school graduation.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokemon. It'd be awesome if I did, but I don't.

_- X - X - X -_

**Long Distance**

**Chapter 3: Strong Words**

_- X - X - X -_

Misty sat in her seat, as rigid as a board.

Her eyes were glued to Lt. Surge as he gave his presentation, but she hadn't heard a single word that had passed his lips. Misty's heart was beating at a steady rhythm, but it was so loud she was surprised no one was asking her to keep it quiet. The clock on the wall informed her that it was 12:47PM, indicating that she had been sitting still for nearly four hours. Her back was sore, her neck was aching and every single muscle in her body was tense.

Lunch break was in thirteen minutes.

Everyone involved with the conference was required to eat in the cafeteria. That meant that Brock had sixty minutes to interrogate her as to why she'd been dodging his calls. Or, rather Ash's calls.

_'Misty, you're being ridiculous!' _She thought to herself. _'You're just being paranoid! Brock was like a brother to you! He isn't going to interrogate or threaten or intimidate you because you've been avoiding him!'_

The redhead managed to relax a bit, but the tension wouldn't completely leave her body. She willed herself to refocus her attention on the Vermilion City Gym Leader's lecture, but found that her pondering had caused time to move more quickly.

"Thank you Lt. Surge, we'll continue with the lecture from Fuschia City after lunch. The cafeteria is down the hall, on the left. You can't miss it. We'll see you all at 2:00PM. Dismissed!"

Misty picked up her bag, and stood slowly. She casually glanced to her left and saw that Brock was busy conversing with his brother. She let out a mental sigh as the familiar head of violet hurried over to her.

"I wish that we didn't have to go over each and every battle we've fought throughout the past year so thoroughly," Erika sighed. "It's so monotonous, and I'm starving! Let's eat!"

_- X - X - X -_

"I've got to hand it to Surge," Erika managed between mouthfuls of spaghetti. "He may be full of it, but some of his strategies are total genius! The footage of his Raichu battling that Golem... Oh, man! I totally thought he was done for. What an amazing comeback!"

Misty raised her eyes from her plate, managed a weak smile and resumed twirling her noodles around her fork.

"Missy, is something wrong? You look really tense."

Misty internally cringed. Was it that obvious?

"No... I'm fine."

The purple haired woman had a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Erika wasn't convinced, but let the subject drop when she noticed someone approaching the table. He looked familiar, and she was only able to place him when she saw that Misty had flinched at his presence. He offered her a brief smile, but quickly turned his eyes to her redheaded friend.

The violet haired woman wasn't certain, but it seemed as though there was an almost accusatory gleam being emitted from his eye sockets.

_'Uh oh, ' _She thought. _'This can't be good...' _

_- X - X - X -_

They weren't hard to spot.

After all, there were only two Kanto gym leaders that supported the respected colors of red and purple on their heads.

Not to mention that their table was smack-dab in the middle of the cafeteria. Thanking the server, he picked up his tray and headed towards them, with Forrest on his trail. He offered the Celadon gym leader a brief smile before facing his old friend.

"Hey Myst." The redhead stiffened slightly at the nickname, but kept her composure.

"Hello Brock," she said politely. Despite his cool exterior, the older breeder's heart ached at her formal tone. This girl had once been his family, and now she was speaking to him like she would a business associate.

"How are you?" He continued cautiously.

"Fine. Yourself?"

"Great. It's been a long time." Misty nodded, a rigid smile forced its way onto her face.

"I mean, it's been how many years since we've seen each other?"

"I don't really remember..." The Cerulean gym leader stated, beginning to pick at her meal again. "It's been quite a while..."

"It really has been, hasn't it? I mean, it seems like it was even longer, since we haven't heard from you in like, forever."

The red headed girl gave no response.

"I guess you must have been pretty busy..."

A half-hearted shrug.

"I know it can be really tough, but you didn't spare us more than a single minute on the telephone, if you picked up at all. Then there are the emails. Even if you didn't have much time, you could have typed up a few lines everyday. At least then you could have sent us a _decently_ long email... but, no. We don't get more than a few words and-"

"I have to pee," Erika suddenly exclaimed with an unnecessarily volume. "Misty, come to the washroom with me!"

Brock watched as the violet haired girl grabbed her friend by the arm and hurriedly rushed out of the cafeteria.

As quick as they were, Brock did not miss the menacing death glare the Celadon gym leader shot him as they made their exit.

_- X - X - X -_

The bathrooms were small, but exceptionally lovely in Erika's opinion. There were but three pink stalls and two white sinks. The soap smelled like green apples and the floor was tiled in alternating lavender and baby blue. What Erika like best about the washroom, was that there was a plush white couch situated at the end farthest from the door. It was perfect for girl talk.

Pushing her friend through the white door, she quickily turned around and secured the lock.

They needed their privacy.

She ushered the Cerulean citizen towards the couch and became angry when she saw the tears in the blue-green eyes.

_'Just who does that Brock guy think he is?' _Erika thought. She didn't voice what was going on through her mind, but instead opened her mouth to ask a question.

"Missy, honey, what's the matter?" The redhead hesitated for a moment, but piece by piece began to reveal the emotions she'd been holding back for more than two years.

The initial separation, how much those first few months had really hurt. How they talked on the phone or emailed at least twice a week, but communication became scarcer as time went on. She talked of her only two visits. The excitement of being reunited, but the pain that came when they once again had to part. Eventually, she ended with how he placed first in the Battle Frontier, and had to pass right by Cerulean to return home, and didn't stop for a visit. How he'd gone straight to Sinnoh without so much as an email. And the final straw... How they had so easily replaced her for the second time.

That had led to her to avoiding any means of contact by him.

"I just don't know, Erika," she sniffled. "Am I overreacting?"

"It depends on how you look at it..." Erika chose her words carefully, rubbing the younger girl's arm affectionately. "But, I don't think so. Missy, you obviously cared about them very much. It was hard on you when they left, and people react to pain differently. Some people scream and shout, and some keep it inside until they become overwhelmed with the weight of it all... I just wish you had told me about this sooner."

"I was... confused. There were so many emotions inside me... I guess I wanted to get them all sorted out." The redhead glanced at her watch and was startled to find that there were only a few minutes remaining in the lunch hour. "Oh, wow. We'd better get going if we want to be on time..." She quickly stood, smoothing the wrinkles in her clothing and running her fingers through her hair.

Erika hesitated, but went with her gut instinct and asked,

"Misty, I hope you don't mind my prying, but... How you felt about Ash... Do you still feel the same or..." The words came out of her mouth awkwardly, and they left an unsettling feeling in the air.

The redhead was silent for a moment. Her reply was quiet, but held a measurably amount of strength.

"I thought I was in love with him, but that was a very long time ago. I used to think of him and smile. Now when his name is so much as mentioned, it just... it hurts. So, really, he's just a source of pain. I'm glad he's far away, on the other side of Kanto. I don't want him anywhere near me."

_- X - X - X -_

**Note: **I think that updates were few and far between because I planned the general outline of the story, but had trouble and got stuck on the specifics. I've given it more thought and there will be three or four more chapters.

So, there you go. I hope that it captured your interest and that you liked it.

I didn't edit this as thoroughly as I should have. If there are any mistakes, let me know and I'll fix them!

Review, s'il vous plaît!


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